Puella Magi Rain Magica
by Transfeline
Summary: A "what if" story starring the girls from the WebComic Rain as magical girls in the PMMM universe, with a dash of Blindsight thrown in.
1. Incubators

_A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..._

A species had discovered a planet called Earth. This species is far more advanced than any other species in the known universe. As such, when they finally found intelligent life on Earth, they were amazed by their discovery. An entire species on a small ocean planet, inflicted with the mental disease known as emotion? A species that somehow dominated their planet, at least for the time being, despite the madness that is morality? After a long period of experimentation, they have arrived at an astonishing conclusion: that these things called emotions, this madness called 'feelings', can in fact be harvested as a form of energy to reverse entropy and help to fight the heat death of the universe; in other words, for the survival of all species in the universe, this resource called Homo Sapiens must be exploited to its fullest.

And that's how the species that will come to be known as the Incubators began their long journey to Earth.


	2. Nigredo

Rain was running, panting, dripping with sweat. Now is a time when she was _almost_ glad that her hair was cut short - way short - by her sister Kellen. If she had kept it to her waist and allow it to cover her left eye like she used to, then just the blind zone alone could be deadly, never mind giving enemies something to grab on in a fight.

"You can run," called out her pursuer, a feminine voice with a masculine tone; or perhaps a masculine voice with a feminine tone, if Rain didn't know any better. "But you can't hide!"

Rain risked a glance, and caught a glimpse of short blond hair and a flash of green eyes. While definitely Caucasian like Rain, the gender of her hunter is a mystery even after looking at him or her. The person behind her seemed male for all purposes, but…

"That's not possible." Rain mumbled, her voice high and unmistakably feminine. "Because..."

* * *

"Make a contract with me," was the first thing Kyubey said to Rain. "And become a Magical Girl!"

"...I'm sorry?" Rain blinked her huge, dolly blue eyes, even though only her right eye is visible.

"If you become a Magical Girl and fight the evil Witches, I can grant you one - "

"No, wait, back up a little." Rain waved her hands for emphasis. "Who and what are you, again?"

"I am Kyubey," said the mysterious white rabbit...cat...animal with beady red eyes and two long white ears. "I'm a Messenger of Magic, trying to find brave girls to fight the forces of evil!"

"Okay, that explained pretty much nothing." Rain said with a sigh, before she realized: "Puddle! Stop nibbling those ears!"

"Sorry about that," Rain apologized as she grabbed Puddle the black rabbit and cuddled him in her slender arms, although that didn't stop the bunny from sending death glare to Kyubey. "I wonder what's gotten into him..."

"That is a very peculiar creature." Kyubey observed. "What is its purpose?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's not as intelligent as you, and it doesn't appear to bear weight well. Is it food supply then?"

"Food - ew! No way." Rain clicked her tongue in distaste. "It's a pet. I keep him for fun and companionship."

"Fun and companionship." Kyubey echoed, hollowly, as if not comprehending. "I see."

And that was how an Incubator met a transgirl.

* * *

Rain rounded a corner and stopped to catch her breath. Her tail was right; she was never an athletic girl, and even with her transformation, she can't keep up this speed for much longer. It's time to take action.

"Finally ready to face the music?" the hunter stopped to smirk. She was wearing what appeared to be a tuxedo, with a long opera cloak that made her look like the Dracula out of a B-horror movie, except the all-silver color gave it a modern and stylish feeling and saved it from corniness. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick."

"Kylie?" the name escaped Rain's lips as recognition dawned. "You're Kylie, aren't you?"

"How do you know my name?" Kylie narrowed her eyes, but she could not recognize the face obscured by the hood. "...Whatever. I just want the Philosopher's Stone."

"You're not getting it." Rain shook her head. "Because it doesn't exist."

"The rogue Messenger of Magic, then." as Kylie brought her sword to bear, Rain realized that the she was not holding a sword in her hand, but rather, the sword was made of her hand. Where the blade ends, her arm begins, silver and smooth as mercury, before the metal faded into normal skin. "Either way, I'm not going home empty-handed."

Silently, Rain clutched to her staff.

* * *

"So let me get this straight:" Rain repeated what Kyubey just told her: "If I make a contract with you, I'll become a Magical Girl like MiniatureManager Akira, fighting eldritch abominations known as Witches in exchange for fulfilling a single wish?"

"Well, there might not be any miniature for you to manage, depending on what magic you end up getting." Kyubey warned. "But yes, that's about it in a nutshell."

"Any wish?"

"Any wish."

"Including making me...a girl? A normal girl?"

"I don't understand. You're already a girl." Kyubey cocked his head in confusion. "That's why I found you. Only girls can become Magical Girls."

"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?" Rain asked, uncertainly. "I mean, I'm not...I want to, but...I'm not...not physically, anyways…."

Kyubey stayed quiet for a long moment, as if receiving a message with those big, fluffy and recently nibbled ears of his, and then he said: "I see. Your physical sex does not align with your mental gender. How curious."

"Do I still...fit?" Rain asked nervously. "Can I still make a contract with you?"

"Of course!" Kyubey said brightly. "It doesn't matter what you are physically. As long as you have the heart of a girl, you can make a contract with me and become a Magical Girl!"

"Then yes!" Rain held her hands into fists in her excitement, and she need to use all her willpower to not squeal and startle Aunt Fara. "I'll gladly make a contract with you!"

* * *

" _Formula Consolidamento:_ " Rain chanted as her staff injected a small vial containing green liquid, with a symbol of a reversed triangle with line separating top and bottom on the glass. When the vial hit the ground and broke, her magic gathered the water molecule in the air and from a damaged pipe nearby, compressed them and rearranged them into crystalline form. " _Gnomus!_ "

Instead of Rain's flesh, Kylie's silver blade was met with a wall of ice at least a feet thick, blocking the alley and preventing Kylie from pursuing Rain. Kylie's blow left a deep cut on the surface of the icy construct, and it didn't take her too long to break it down, but by the time she did Rain was long gone.

"Welp, I guess that's all for today." Kylie shrugged as her costume turned back into a gemstone the size of a large egg, glowing with a fluid silvery texture. "I can't do this anymore."

"Are you sure?" asked Kyubey, who suddenly appeared at Kylie's feet. "You've came this far."

"You're not hearing me." Kylie shook her head, annoyedly. "I can't do this anymore." she - no, he - tugged at the fringe of her skirt impatiently. "I'm not in girl mode anymore. I gotta get out of this...getout."

"I see." Kyubey said, not quite comprehending. "Most peculiar."

"Most peculiar, indeed." Kylie echoed. "...How did she know my name?"

* * *

"So that is a Witch?" Rain asked pointing at the black...tree...thingy in the middle of the Barrier.

"Yap." Kyubey confirmed.

"Holy -" Rain swore under her breath. "That really _is_ an Eldritch Abomination..."

The Eldritch Abomination, as Rain called it, is a many-branched black tree with many apples, each apple carrying two fetuses. When the apple drop and crack, two babies made of wood appear from within, and began advancing toward Rain and Kyubey.

"And those wood...baby...thingies are the Familiars?"

"Yap."

"Okay, Rain Flaherty." Rain drew a deep breath. "You're a tough girl. You can do this."

Rain took out her Soul Gem, a gemstone the size of a large egg, blazing with a red deeper than blood and brighter than fire, and transformed: her combat attire is that of a hermit, a crimson robe that can cover her from head to toe. She wielded a caduceus as her weapon, a short staff entwined by two serpents, surmounted by wings both black and white.

" _Formula Incenerimento:_ " Rain chanted as she pointed her staff at one Familiar after another, firing vials containing a red liquid and marked with a reversed triangle, and whichever Familiar she hit lit up in flames. " _Vulcanus!_ "

The fight went well for Rain, and soon she had cleared a path toward the Witch itself. But just before she could deliver the coup de grâce, Kyubey called out: "Rain! On your right!"

Rain tried to move her eyes, but realized that her right field of vision was severely limited as her hair covered her right eye completely, so she had to her head and then her entire body to face the one remaining Familiar.

" _Formula Evaporazione: Sylvestris!_ " at the last minute, Rain stabbed her caduceus into the floor, and a vial containing yellow liquid with a triangle with line separating top and bottom on it broke,

turning the very ground beneath her feet into gas, which blasted out in a powerful jet and cut off the head of the wooden infant. She soon returned her attention back to the Witch, stabbing the tip of her rod deep into the bark of the black tree, and without a sound both the Witch and its Barrier vanished without a trace.

Well, actually, there is a trace, something that looked a lot like a large black pearl, adorned with silver pattern of two fetus facing each other in an apple.

"It's a Grief Seed." Kyubey explained. "Look at your Soul Gem." and Rain did just so. "The light is getting dimmer, right?" Rain nodded. "That's because your magic was consumed in the battle. In order to recharge your magic, just put the Grief Seed close to your Soul Gem."

Rain did, and saw how the darkness within her Soul Gem got absorbed into the Grief Seed, and just like that her Soul Gem was good as new.

"By fighting Witches, you can obtain their Grief Seeds, which allows you to recharge - " Kyubey trailed off when he saw Rain had hung her head and stayed silent. "Is something the matter?"

"...you."

"Pardon?"

"...Thank you!" Rain exclaimed with sparkling eyes, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. "If this is all I have to do to be a real girl, then it's no price at all!" she giggled and loved the bell-like voice of her new body. "Thank you, Kyubey!" she reached out to hug the Messenger of Magic, without transforming back, and accidentally touched Kyubey with her staff. "Thank you - "

And that was when it happened: Rain, in her excitement, accidentally applied her magic on Kyubey, and changed him in fundamental ways. His brain restructured. His nerves rerouted. His mind changed as his body was transformed. And with this new mind came empathy, a true understanding of the human condition, which leads to sympathy and culminated in compassion.

"Oh. Oh, goodness." Kyubey said with an expression of...well, actually, it's kind of impossible to read Kyubey's impression, since he has no eyebrows and his mouth doesn't even move when he speaks. His voice sounded distraught, though, which is unusual, as Rain realized that she had never heard Kyubey express emotions in any way, shape or form.

"Rain..." Kyubey begun. "I'm so sorry."

And that was when Hachiko was born.

* * *

"Thanks for giving me a lift, Aunt Fara." Rain said as she got into the car, riding shotgun.

"Don't mention it, kiddo." Fara smiled, and then something occurred to her. "You seem...different, lately."

"Eh?!" Rain blinked her two dolly blue eyes. "Different, how…?" _Could Aunt Fara know about…?_

"I mean, I thought you'd be more upset about Kellen cutting your hair." Fara confessed. "I mean, I can see you're still mad at her, and you have every right to be, but other than that, you're surprisingly fine with it."

"Ah, well." Rain traced a delicate finger around the edge of her hair. "I mean, it's not like I'd stop passing just because I have short hair, right?" _And it's more convenient in a fight, as well._

"That's good." Fara let out a sigh of relief. "Honestly, given how neurotic you're about passing, I was really worried about what the cut would do to your self-esteem, so it's a real relief to see you're okay."

"Thanks, Aunt Fara." Rain smiled, but then: "Wait, did you just call me neurotic again?!"

* * *

"So let me get this straight:" Rain said drawing in a deep breath. "Even if I don't die horribly at the hands of some Witch, I'll eventually suffer a fate worse than death when I run out of magic and _become a Witch myself_?"

"...That's it in a nutshell, yeah." Hachiko said in a guilty voice. "Now, you mustn't let this burden you too much..."

"I just accept a way that makes me into a cisgirl, except now I find it has a life expectancy of under 20 years." Rain spat. "How the hell do I not let this burden me?"

"Look at your Soul Gem."

"What's that has gotten to do with - eh?!"

Rain realized that her Soul Gem, which was spotless just a moment ago as she cleansed it with a Grief Seed, was starting to get dimmer again.

"Why's this happening?!"

"Saying that the Gem gets dim from exercise magic is only a partial truth;" Hachiko explained. "The truth is your magic comes from your hope, which the Soul Gem reflects; so anything that makes you lose hope dims it, and potentially push you closer to becoming a Witch."

"...So why are you even telling me this?" Rain demanded. "Are you just trying to drive me nuts so I become a Witch, or something?"

"I just had to...come clean." Hachiko said. "When you touched me, your magic transformed me; in what way, I do not know, but now there is something compelling me to tell you the truth, something like..."

"Morality?"

"You can call it that."

"If we want to talk about morality..." Rain shuddered. "Then I just killed another girl..."

"No!" Hachiko shouted. "...She's too far gone. No one knows what it's like to be a Witch, but what little is left of her mind isn't in control anymore. You had done her a great mercy if anything."

Rain drew in a deep breath.

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"I'll hunt the Witches. Collect Grief Seeds. Nothing has changed, except now my motivation also includes putting the poor girls out of their misery."

"...Even with all you know, you're still willing to fight?" Hachiko asked, amazed.

"It doesn't mean that I've forgiven you, because I don't think I ever will, or can." Rain jabbed a finger at Hachiko, whom nodded: "Fair."

"But I said I would do anything to become a real girl. And I did get that. So I guess I just have to make the best out of my limited time."

After a long silence filled with tension, Hachiko concluded: "You're a much tougher girl than you give yourself credit to, Rain Flaherty."

* * *

"I'm back, Hachiko!" Rain called out when she stepped into her room, forgetting to lower her voice until Fara called back: "Rain? Who are you talking to?"

"Puddle!" Rain lied, then added, unnecessarily: "The rabbit!"

"Welcome back, Rain!" Hachiko, the Incubator formerly known as Kyubey like all of his kind, welcomed the magical girl home. He wore a pair of thick and black fake eyebrows, leaning downward as it spread out to the sides of his face, which resemble the kanji of "eight" where he got his name, and gave him a rueful look on his expressionless face. "How did it go?"

"Eh, not well." Rain shrugged and sighed. "Some other girl showed up."

"Stole your prey?"

"More like I'm her prey."

"What?" Hachiko blinked.

"The Philosopher's Stone."

"Well, it is theoretically possible - " Hachiko mused, and then blinked when he noticed: "Wait a minute, how the hell did she - " and then came the horrible realization: "Dammit! They're trying to get to me through you!"

"Also, Puddle is eating your tail." Rain pointed out nonchalantly.

"Ahh! Get it off me! Get it off!"

Once Rain relocated the bunny to his lovely adobe and Hachiko regained his composure, the conversation resumed.

"Your power is great, Rain." Hachiko said eyeing Puddle the rabbit nervously. "Your wish to transform your body to fit your mind gives your mind power over matter. So far, you're only able to control the phase change of matters. But you can, in theory, transform anything into anything, as you've demonstrated when you transformed me and a endowed me with sentience like yours."

"I'm still not sure whether that's a blessing or a curse." Rain said with a wry smile as she patted the bunny in her lap. "Whether I should apologize, or what."

"It is what it is." Hachiko shrugged his tiny shoulders. "The question is, where do we go from here?"


	3. Albedo

Lunch time at St. Hallvard High School.

"Would you mind if Chan-chan and me sat here?" Rain asked as she led her girlfriend, Chanel, to a table in the cafeteria. "Mary? Em?"

"Oh, please." Maria answered with a knowing smile. "As the only other openly lesbian couple in the school, we won't have many friends if we turn you down, right, Em?"

"Um, yeah." Emily nodded, a bit awkwardly.

"Lesbian-ish." Chanel said as she sat down beside Rain. "I'm asexual, so I'm only lesbian-ish."

"God, how long have you waited to say that, Chan-chan?" Rain laughed and mock punched her girlfriend on the shoulder.

The four exchanged pleasantries and chit chat over lunch, and it was when the break is almost over that Rain popped the question:

"So listen, Chan-chan am I are planning to go on a date after school." she said, "Do you gals wanna come along and make it a double date?"

"Oh, we would love to!" Maria began, but then Emily pulled at her sleeve, and the two exchanged a look before Maria changed her tune: "...But we probably can't. We have, ah, extracurricular to do?"

"Really?" Rain blinked, as she wasn't aware of either of them being in a club or on a team, but she didn't pry. "Well, it's a shame, but I guess maybe next time?"

"Yeah, next time."

Rain and Chanel waved Maria and Emily goodbye as they went to make out a little before the next class, and that's when Emily finally spoke up for real: "We really need to go and find the Philosopher." she took out her Soul Gem, which was almost half-dark. "Or at least hunt some Witches."

"I know, I know." Maria sighed and spread her hands dramatically. "I guess a relaxed lifestyle is too much to ask for a lesbian magical girl." she stood up from her seat and offered her hand to Emily. "God, being a Magical Girl is suffering." she said in jest, not knowing how right she was.

* * *

"A gay correction camp?" Maria gasped when her very Christian parents came up with the very brilliant idea about what to do to "cure" their daughter's sexuality. "Hell does that even mean?"

"Maria, language!" her Mother chided, but her Father was more focused on the matter at hand.

"Exactly what it sounds like, Maria." her Father said sternly. "You just go there over the summer, and they promise to fix you like new."

"Why don't you just get it, Dad?" Maria clutched her hands into fists in frustration, her fingernails digging into her palm. "There's nothing _to_ fix! There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Nonsense!" her Mother interjected. "All you need is the touch of a proper man!"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Maria demanded. "Because that sounds an awful lot like rape to me."

"That's not what I - " her Mother tried to explain, but her Father cut her off: "Well, if that's what it takes, then maybe - "

Silence. _Beat._ Silence. _Beat._ Silence. _Beat._

"Kyubey," Maria muttered darkly, "Are you there?"

"Maria?" her Mother asked in a worried voice. "Who are you talking to?"

"I am always here, Maria Stonewell." the small cat...mouse...thingy said. "Are you ready to make a contract with me and become a Magical Girl?"

"I knew it!" her Father exclaimed, in an almost triumphant tone. "She's possessed!"

" _Yes_." Maria growled, and a new Magical Girl was born.

* * *

After school.

"So, why are we looking for this Philosopher gal, again?" Maria asked and glanced sideways at Kyubey, her Soul Gem in her hand.

"She's what you would call a dark magical girl." Kyubey explained. "She works with a Messenger of Magic that has gone rogue."

"So is she, like, evil?" Emily asked, a bit uncertainly.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Okay, but how do we find her?" Maria pressed on. "Last time I check, there isn't any social groups for Magical Girls on FaceSpace."

"Same way you find any other Magical girl:" Kyubey answered: "You find the Witches they fight."

"But if she actually has the Philosopher's Stone, then she wouldn't ever run out of magic?" Emily pointed out. "And if she's evil, she wouldn't be fighting Witches out of the good of her heart?"

"Well, that's - " Kyubey was just about to try and answer that, when Maria silenced them both with a gesture. "I think I got something here!"

Indeed, her Soul Gem was glowing brighter than usual: the indication that there's a Witch nearby.

"Save the questions for later." Maria said as she put her Soul Gem away. "For now, we fight."

* * *

She has a horned helmet on her head and black wings on the back of her dress. Her eyes were sharp and red, and her body was clad in black. A fallen angel of death and vengeance upon this sinful earth. Before her was two pillars made of salt, their humanoid shape only vaguely apparent, and their features difficult to discern.

"What - " Maria blinked as she stared in horror at the scene before her. "What have you done?"

"I have done nothing but granting your wish, Maria Stonewell." Kyubey said. "You wished for a biblical punishment upon your family; I'm taken to think that this is very biblical."

" _You little piece of -_ " Maria growled and was about to strangle the little lying bastard, before something more important occurred to her: "Oh my god, Rudy!"

"Rudy, are you okay?" she almost screamed into the door as she pushed into her brother's room and found -

Rudy Stonewell, her brother and fellow homosexual, was similarly turned into a pillar of salt, only smaller in size.

" _What have you done?_ " Maria cried out the words as she grabbed what passes for a neck on the small white creature. "I asked for punishment on my family!"

"Your brother _is_ your family, though." Kyubey pointed out. "Is he not?"

Maria paused, let go, and stared into the abyss.

"I see." she said after a long moment of silence. "You're right, of course."

She stepped forward to gently caress the salty remain of her dear brother.

"This is, indeed, biblical." she said softly, almost like praying. "You're just like God - fucking people over because of the smallest of sins or mistakes."

"So what do you want from me?" she asked.

* * *

"What is this place…?" Fara blinked as she looked around her, taking in the surreal landscape. Black branches were all around her, sometimes getting as thick as an adult's arm, cutting off any semblance of an exits with their thorns. "How did I get here…?" she held her head as she tried her best to remember: one moment, she was still shopping in the mall, and the next…

"What the…?" she flinched and took a step backward when an apple the size of a young child dropped in front of her, split into two, and revealed the two infants inside, both made of wood. The two babies made an eerily high-pitched noise that was the deranged bastard child between a sob and a scream, before they began advancing toward Fara, in small but sured steps.

"Get - get away from me!" Aunt Fara screamed and looked around her for anything that can be used as an improvised weapons against these freaks of nature, but found none. Just before the wooden fetus could drove her back against the thorn with its outstretched arms, however, a thin sword looking more like a cross than a weapon struck the monster baby and turned it into...salt?

"Aunt Fara?" a familiar voice came from above, and Fara looked up to find Emily and Maria, two friends of Rain's who had visited the house more than a few times. Both of them were wearing strange costumes resembling those cosplays one would see at an anime convention, except the quality was amazing. That, and the fact that both of them were floating in the sky without support.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked as she landed beside Fara. She was dressing like a fairy straight out of Disneyland, all pink and gold and glittering, with a pair of golden butterfly wings upon a little pink dress. Surrounding her was small butterfly shapes made of orange flames, which further gave her appearance a dreamy and otherworldly feeling. Still, Fara knows these two and knew them to be good kids, so their presence and apparent calmness in the face of all the craziness around them helped to anchor Fara in a semblance of sanity.

"Yeah, I'm alright, all things considered." Fara nodded and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "But can anyone please explain the situation to me? Where is this place?"

"Well, that's - " Maria began, but then something else caught her attention and cut her off mid-sentence. "- Watch out!"

* * *

"This is nice." Chanel giggled as she walked through the park with Rain, their fingers locked together. As the Sun went down and the time drew near to supper, people began to depart the trees and the benches for diners or their home, making the park a perfect place for making out or more private conversations.

"It is." Rain nodded in agreement, but her expression seemed somber. "Look, Chan-chan, there is something I have to tell you..."

"What?" Chanel cocked her head like an adorable little birdy. "Is this about you being trans, again? I already said I don't mind; you're a girl to me."

"No, that's not it." Rain shook her head. "I'm no longer trans, anyways."

"Huh?" Chanel blinked her large, soulful eyes. After all, hearing someone saying "I'm no longer trans", is on the same order of hearing someone saying "my missing limb grew itself back".

"It's complicated." Rain sighed. "But look, that's not really what I meant to -"

"Rain!" just then, Hachiko appeared before the two girls. "There's a Wtch nearby!"

"What - what is that ridiculously adorable critter?!" even in her surprise, Chanel somehow was still able to point out how cute Hachiko looked. "And how come he can talk?!"

"Well, I'm sure one of the other girls can take care of the Witch." Rain said with a dismissive wave, but then: "Wait a minute, Chan-chan?! You can see Hachiko?!"

"Shouldn't I be?!"

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear." Hachiko urged. "There's a Witch nearby, and Fara is caught in its Barrier!"

"WHAT?!" Rain's shout made Chanel cover her ears with her hands. "You should have led with that!"

"Rain, what is this I don't even - " Chanel was still trying to make sense of the situation, but all she got was an apologetic smile from Rain:

"Sorry, sweetheart. I don't really have time to explain." Rain took her Soul Gem out of her pocket, which burned brightly with a scarlet blaze. Rain's clothes melted away in a flash of light, and was swiftly replaced by a crimson robe; in her hands there was no longer her Soul Gem, but rather a staff with two snakes circling its length, the mouths of the snakes containing the crimson gem. "But in short? I'm a magical girl."

"What, like MiniatureManager Akira?"

"Yeah, except I don't manage any miniature." Rain took a step toward Chanel and produced a small envelope from within her robe. "Chan-chan, if anything were to happen to me..."

"What do you mean, if anything were to happen to you?!" Chanel's eyes was wide from fear and uncertainty. "What do you think is going to happen to you, Rain? Is there anything I can do to - "

"Please, Chanel. This is important" Rain gently put a finger upon her lover's lips as she slipped the envelope into her lover's hand. "If anything were to happen to me, open the envelope."

"I don't understand..." Chanel's voice trailed off into a near sob, as Rain turned away and departed with a final: "Goodbye, Chan-chan. I'm sorry. I wish things could have been different."

And that was the day Chanel learned that, while there are fifty ways to leave your lover, there isn't one that would ever bring her back again.

* * *

While Maria and Emily was defending themselves and Fara from the Familiars, the Witch itself approached. It swung down its mighty branches with amazing speed, catching the girls off guard and unable to react...except for Emily, whose power was almost instinctive. "Get away from me!" she cried, and the orange butterflies spread out, turning into flames and burning down whatever they touched, the branches, the babies, the thorns, the Witch itself…

...And Fara, as well.

"Emily, stop!" Maria shouted as a blood-curdling scream of pain escaped Fara's mouth, which finally snapped Emily out of her panic and stopped her magic. But just because her magic is stopped, It doesn't mean the damage was reversed - Fara was still burning, and there isn't a fire hose or extinguisher in sight inside of the Witch's barrier. "Emily, what - "

"What the fuck have you done?!"

And that was when Rain arrived at the Barrier.


	4. Rubedo

Her favorite pastime is reading. More so than a videogame or a movie, reading a book allows her to set her own pace and not feel rushed by anything. Her absolutely favorite story is that of the Little Match Girl, who lost everything in pursuit of a little bit of hope and warmth. Perhaps, Emily thought, the Little Match Girl reminded her of herself; after all, while her family is by no means poor, it's certainly cold and lonely, with her Mother often absent while she's on business trips.

No, scratch that. Her Mother is always absent, even when she's not on a business trip. She can occupy the same physical space as Emily, but Emily can just tell that her mind isn't there, that she wasn't actually seeing her daughter with those hollow and weary eyes of hers. And what is love if not to see and being seen? How can you love a person if your eyes deny their existence? You can't; that's how Emily knows she's unwanted, unloved, a fact that chills her to the bones.

"Emily Caston," that's when she met the great deceiver known as Kyubey. "Make a contract with me and become a Magical Girl!"

* * *

"What the fuck have you done?!" Rain shouted as she jumped into the Barrier to stand beside Aunt Fara. Well, what remained of Aunt Fara, anyways, which wasn't much more than charred flesh and cracking bones. "Aunt Fara…!" she cried as she caught the burnt corpse in her arms, heedless of the heat that was burning her robe and skin even now. "No no no no no….!"

"Rain...I...I'm sorry..." Emily was apologizing non-stop, but Rain wasn't having any of it.

"You bitch!" Rain shouted at Emily as she throw a small vial containing a scarlet liquid at the other Magical Girl, but it was intercepted by Maria's cross-like sword and exploded before it could land on Emily.

"Get a grip!" Maria shouted. "Emily didn't mean to hurt anyone! It was just an accident."

"I. Don't. Care!" Rain proceeded to attack a sobbing and helpless Emily with several vials, but all of them were blocked by Maria. Eventually, though, Rain's attack overwhelmed Maria's defense, forcing Maria to defend Emily from this last attack with her body instead of her sword. " _Formula Annientamento:_ " Rain growled as she threw a vial of black liquid at the two: " _Aether!_ "

The vial hit Maria. At first, nothing happened. But then Maria's face twisted into a painful grimace, and her Soul Gem quickly blackened, until eventually it broke, revealing a seed of dark despair inside: a Grief Seed, like that of Witch, while Maria's body lost all motion and expression and dropped to the floor, and a newborn Witch formed itself around this tiny concentrated curse.

"What have you done?!" it was Emily's turn to demand that answer out of Rain, through soft sobs and teary eyes, as she held the soulless body of her lover tightly between her arms.

The Witch that was Maria takes the form of a giant white lily flower with four petals spread out like a cross, and a circular mouth lined with sharp teeth in the middle. All around the flower of pain were its Familiars, humanoid shape made of salt, a male one resembling her brother Rudy, and a female one resembling her lover Emily. Her Barrier is that of a church, also made of salt.

"Maria! Can you hear me?" Emily called out, first to the mindless form between her arms, then to the crazed form of the Witch. "I know you're in there somewhere!" and her words became a sob.

If Maria was in there somewhere, she couldn't show it, as the flower of curse bend down toward Emily and cut off her neck with its teeth. Or perhaps this was how Maria shows that she's still in there, by sparring Emily of any further agony, and to devour her Soul Gem into her Witch form so that perhaps their souls could be with each other for all eternity. The world may never know.

"Oh my God, what have _I_ done?" Rain gasped when she realized the gravity of her action, how she utilized a spell she swore she'd never use in a heated moment of anger and grief. Paralyzed by guilt, Rain didn't move her body or do anything to evade or defend against the Witch or its Familiars when they came forward to devour her and what little was left of Aunt Fara.

But then someone intervened. A silvery arrow, smooth as if it was made of liquid, shot through the Barrier, impaled several Familiars before finally landed itself on one of the four white petals.

"Kylie…?" Rain blinked as her sight was filled by the image of a silver cape enshrouding a blond haired figure, with her hands a silvery bow and arrows formed out of her mercurial physical form.

"Go," Kylie said simply, without taking her eyes away from the Witch. "Go now. I already have a handful to deal with with this one; I can't handle it if you throw any more wrenches into my fight."

"What about the Philosopher's Stone?" Rain asked. "Don't you still want it from me?"

"If you have it," Kylie said, "You'd have used it long ago."

"...Touche." Rain nodded, carried what little was left of Fara's charred corpse onto her back, and walked away. "Break a leg." was the final words she said to her former rival magical girl and downstairs neighbor.

* * *

All she wished for was for people to warm up to her. And that was exactly what she got.

"Emily, do you have enough to wear in this weather?" her Mother, who never cared for Emily's well-being before, became obsessed with her, to the detriment of their only income source - her Mother's career. "Do you want me to pack you lunch, Emily?"

But that didn't matter, because her Mother wasn't the only person who warmed up to her.

"Hey Emily, do you want to share some of my lunch?" Debbie offered, and Holly pushed the matter: "Don't worry Emily, Debbie needs to start a diet anyways." and the two got into a fight over who should start a diet and why.

Even the teachers weren't immune. Emily had always been a good student, but this…

"Another A on your Math exam." Brother Arthur said with a big smile, as if he's talking about his own daughter. "You never fail to impress, Emily." even that evil incarnate Father Question nodded at her when she ran into him every now and then.

At first, Emily found all the attention flattering and pleasant; but as time went on, she began to find all the eyes on her to be tiring and nerve-wrecking. She began to withdraw further into her shell, becoming even more awkward and antisocial.

* * *

"You're losing it, Rain."

"I know, Hachiko." Rain panted as she finally sat down against a wall. She raised her Soul Gem, and it was no longer the blazing ruby it once was. Instead, it was pitch black, with darkness swirling inside the egg-sized precious stone. "I know."

"Before I'm gone for good, there's something I've always meant to ask you:" Rain covered the black gem with her hands and fixed her eyes on Hachiko: "How come you are so advanced and even creative, but lacking in emotions and morality?"

"Emotion and morality are faculties of sentience;" Hachiko answered. "Technology and creativity are faculties of intelligence."

"I'm under the impression that they're one and the same."

"Perhaps for humans, they are." Hachiko said. "But one isn't a requirement for another."

"You once told me that one day humanity will reach the stars." Rain recalled. "When that happens, will we find more like us, or more like you?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, Hachiko answered: "More like you. Sentience permeates the universe. The coldness that is our kind is an anomaly."

"For someone who's basically an alien salesman of magic," Rain laughed. "You sure are a terrible liar, Hachiko."

The Incubator was silent.

"I get it, though." Rain closed her eyes. "You want to spare me the truth that the universe is a cold, uncaring place, as a small mercy before my end."

"I'm sorry." Hachiko said. "For everything."

"Don't be. It is what it is." Rain let out a sigh.

"If only there's anything I can do for you..."

"Actually, there is."

"Just name it."

"Since she can see you, can you fetch Chanel for me?" Rain opened her eyes again, but her gaze was distant, as if looking at something far away. "I just want to see her one last time."

"Of course." Hachiko nodded. "I'll be right back"

After the Incubator left, Rain opened her hands and looked at her Soul Gem again. It's difficult to tell by looking at it, but Rain could tell that it was getting darker, as she could feel the darkness in the depth of her soul, sipping into her bones and gnawing at her heart with sharp teeth named guilt and regret. Aunt Fara, the only real family Rain had left, is dead. Maria and Emily, the only friends she had except for Chanel, were basically murdered by her own hands. She can feel her mind slipping deep into a black hole, unable to break free no matter how hard she tried. It's time.

" _Formula Creazione:_ " Rain whispered, almost like praying to a God she did not believe in and which rejects her simply for what she is, as her Soul Gem blazed brightly scarlet for one last time before that crimson glow solidified around her broken Soul Gem, trapping the ensuring seed of grief inside its magnificent red hue, imprisoning what Rain's soul had became inside a cage of ruby so she wouldn't harm anyone even if she had lost herself to despair. " _Magnum Opus!_ "

* * *

" _I agree, I do need to stop playing make belief."_ Rain's words echoed in her head as her footsteps echoed in the spacious hallways of the hospital. " _I need to stop pretending I have a sister myself."_

" _Because you're not my sister."_ Rain denounced her once again in her mind, as she rounded a corner and climbed up a few stairs. " _Family isn't supposed to hurt each other. A real sister wouldn't do something like this to someone she cares about."_

" _I won't embarrass you anymore. So please just do me a favor in return."_ Kellen shook her head and tried to banish the hurtful words from her mind as she opened the door. " _Stay away from me and don't_ _ **ever**_ _speak to me again._ _ **EVER!**_ "

"How's he?" Kellen asked her brother, Aiken, whom was shaken visibly from the shock of it all.

"She." he said flatly.

"Oh, knock it off!" Kellen growled. "This is no time for Ryan's stupid game of make believe - "

"No, you knock it off, you stupid fucking bitch!" Aiken shouted, drawing concerned look from even outside the room, but at least it worked to shut up the stupid fucking bitch. "Rain is always a girl, but now she's...a girl, physically. It makes no sense. Her hormone therapy hasn't even began..."

"What?!" Kellen stepped forward to look at her baby sis, and from beneath the hospital gown the shape of Rain's breast as well as her cleavage were perfectly visible.

"Oh, and Aunt Fara is dead, if you care at all." Aiken said sarcastically. "I don't recommend seeing the body though, if you ever plan on having barbeque again."

"So how is...she?" Kellen asked as she slumped into a chair beside Rain's bed, putting her hands around the cold hand of her unconscious baby sis.

"Physically, she's female and fine. Better than fine; she's in perfect health." Aiken lowered his eyes. "She just wouldn't wake up. The docs don't know why."

"Oh, Ry - Rain…!" Kellen's breath caught in her throat as hot tears of regret streamed down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry…!"

"If you ever wake up..." Kellen shook her head. "... _when_ you wake up," she corrected herself. "I swear, I'll be the best big sis you can ever have."

"Baby sis..." Kellen whispered the words, almost like praying to a God she did not believe in and who rejects her baby sis simply for what she is, as the first beam of twilight of a dawning day shot through the window and landed on the face of Rain's soulless body, the crimson gemstone on the bedside table blazing with the light of a life mercilessly snuffed out by a cold universe.


	5. Rorschach

_Once upon a time, not so long ago..._

A species received the signals broadcasted by humanity. This species is more advanced than human beings, but not nearly as advanced as the Incubators. As such, when they were finally able to decipher the data, they were confounded by confusing information. What is this thing called emotion? What is love? What is hate? And what is this thing called morality? What is right? What is wrong? After a long period of deliberation, they have arrived at a very different conclusion from the Incubator: instead of seeing emotions and feelings as something that could be exploited as a power source, they decided that these concepts are worthless garbage, and the only reason any species would sent out trash data like this is to waste precious computing cycle; in other words, it is a form of informational attack: an act of war, a dangerous disease that must be eliminated at once, lest it spread through the universe and poison all intelligent lifeforms.

And that's how the being that will come to be known as Rorschach began its long journey to Earth.


	6. Author's Notes

This fanfic started out as a PMMM fanfic starring a transgirl protagonist, then it gained a bit of a philosophy vibe when I came across Blindsight by Peter Watts. I was at a loss for characters until I finished Rain by Jocelyn Samara, and I decided to borrow her delightful cast and make it a crossover. For those of you who know Rain, the biggest deviation from canon is the fact that Maria and Emily never broke up: this caused friction between Maria and her family which caused her to contract QB, and also kept Emily as her awkward self who eventually also contracted QB in an attempt to gain the approval of her Mother. Rain is a lot more confident since she became cis, and since Maria being with Emily means Chanel is not taken, Rain and Chanel eventually got together. So I guess apart from being a Rain fanfic taking place in the PMMM universe, I also got to put my own spin on the personality and relationship of the characters. Personally I'm very proud of the nickname Chan-chan, which sounds to me like a nickname a anime-loving girl would give to a girlfriend named Chanel. I also enjoyed getting in on the Bland-Name Product action started with Fighter Frog with my contribution, the quintessential magical girl show MiniatureManager Akira. She's just like Cardcaptor Sakura, except her miniatures have more demanding storage requirements.


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